Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 563 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Schultz, Mike

Final action

House/ filed 3/7/2025

Outcome

Failed / filed without passage

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• changes the person responsible for preparing the ballot title and analysis for any proposed constitutional amendment submitted to the voters.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

13
20A-7-103
20A-7-702
20A-7-703.1
Ballot Title Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Mike Schultz
Senate Sponsor: J. Stuart Adams
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies provisions governing the process for submitting proposed constitutional 
amendments to the voters.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
changes the person responsible for preparing the ballot title and analysis for any proposed 
constitutional amendment submitted to the voters. 
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
20A-7-103
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 465
20A-7-702
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 465
20A-7-703.1
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 465
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
20A-7-103
 is amended to read:
20A-7-103. Constitutional amendments and other questions submitted by the 
Legislature -- Publication -- Ballot title -- Procedures for submission to popular vote.
(1)
The procedures contained in this section govern when the Legislature submits a 
proposed constitutional amendment or other question to the voters.
(2)
The lieutenant governor shall, not more than 60 days or less than 14 days before the 
date of the election, publish the full text of the amendment, question, or statute for the 
state, as a class A notice under Section 
63G-30-102
, through the date of the election.
(3)
(a)
The 
presiding officers
legislative general counsel
 shall:
(a)
(i)
entitle each proposed constitutional amendment "Constitutional Amendment 
__" and assign a letter to the constitutional amendment in accordance with the 
requirements of Section 
20A-6-107
;
(b)
(ii)
entitle each proposed question "Proposition Number __" with the number 
assigned to the proposition under Section 
20A-6-107
 placed in the blank;
(c)
(iii)
draft and designate a ballot title for each proposed amendment or question 
submitted by the Legislature that:
(i)
(A)
summarizes the subject matter of the amendment or question; and
(ii)
(B)
for a proposed constitutional amendment, summarizes any legislation that 
is enacted and will become effective upon the voters' adoption of the proposed 
constitutional amendment; and
(d)
(iv)
deliver each letter or number and ballot title to the lieutenant governor.
(b)
Consistent with Section 
36-12-12
, the legislative general counsel performs the duties 
in this section as counsel for the presiding officers.
(4)
The lieutenant governor shall certify the letter or number and ballot title of each 
amendment or question to the county clerk of each county no later than 65 days before 
the date of the election.
(5)
The county clerk of each county shall:
(a)
ensure that the letter or number and the ballot title of each amendment and question 
prepared in accordance with this section are included in the sample ballots and 
official ballots; and
(b)
publish the sample ballots and official ballots as provided by law.
Section 2, Section 
20A-7-702
 is amended to read:
20A-7-702. Voter information pamphlet -- Form -- Contents.
The voter information pamphlet shall contain the following items in this order:
(1)
a cover title page;
(2)
an introduction to the pamphlet by the lieutenant governor;
(3)
a table of contents;
(4)
a list of all candidates for constitutional offices;
(5)
a list of candidates for each legislative district;
(6)
a 100-word statement of qualifications for each candidate for the office of governor, 
lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, or state treasurer, if submitted by the 
candidate to the lieutenant governor's office before 5 p.m. on the first business day in 
August before the date of the election;
(7)
information pertaining to all measures to be submitted to the voters, beginning a new 
page for each measure and containing, in the following order for each measure:
(a)
a copy of the number and ballot title of the measure;
(b)
the final vote cast by the Legislature on the measure if it is a measure submitted by 
the Legislature or by referendum;
(c)
(i)
for a measure other than a measure described in Section 
20A-7-103
, the 
impartial analysis of the measure prepared by the Office of Legislative Research 
and General Counsel; or
(ii)
for a measure described in Section 
20A-7-103
, the analysis of the measure 
prepared by the 
presiding officers
legislative general counsel
;
(d)
the arguments in favor of the measure, the rebuttal to the arguments in favor of the 
measure, the arguments against the measure, and the rebuttal to the arguments against 
the measure, with the name and title of the authors at the end of each argument or 
rebuttal;
(e)
for each constitutional amendment, a complete copy of the text of the constitutional 
amendment, with all new language underlined, and all deleted language placed within 
brackets;
(f)
for each initiative qualified for the ballot:
(i)
a copy of the initiative as certified by the lieutenant governor and a copy of the 
initial fiscal impact statement prepared according to Section 
20A-7-202.5
; and
(ii)
if the initiative proposes a tax increase, the following statement in bold type:
"This initiative seeks to increase the current (insert name of tax) rate by (insert the tax 
percentage difference) percent, resulting in a(n) (insert the tax percentage increase) percent 
increase in the current tax rate."; and
(g)
for each referendum qualified for the ballot, a complete copy of the text of the law 
being submitted to the voters for their approval or rejection, with all new language 
underlined and all deleted language placed within brackets, as applicable;
(8)
a description provided by the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission of the 
selection and retention process for judges, including, in the following order:
(a)
a description of the judicial selection process;
(b)
a description of the judicial performance evaluation process;
(c)
a description of the judicial retention election process;
(d)
a list of the criteria of the judicial performance evaluation and the certification 
standards;
(e)
the names of the judges standing for retention election; and
(f)
for each judge:
(i)
a list of the counties in which the judge is subject to retention election;
(ii)
a short biography of professional qualifications and a recent photograph;
(iii)
a narrative concerning the judge's performance;
(iv)
for each certification standard under Section 
78A-12-205
, a statement identifying 
whether, under Section 
78A-12-205
, the judge met the standard and, if not, the 
manner in which the judge failed to meet the standard;
(v)
a statement that the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission:
(A)
has determined that the judge meets or exceeds minimum performance 
standards;
(B)
has determined that the judge does not meet or exceed minimum performance 
standards; or
(C)
has not made a determination regarding whether the judge meets or exceeds 
minimum performance standards;
(vi)
any statement, described in Subsection 
78A-12-206
(3)(b), provided by a judge 
whom the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission determines does not meet 
or exceed minimum performance standards;
(vii)
in a bar graph, the average of responses to each survey category, displayed with 
an identification of the minimum acceptable score as set by Section 
78A-12-205
and the average score of all judges of the same court level; and
(viii)
a website address that contains the Judicial Performance Evaluation 
Commission's report on the judge's performance evaluation;
(9)
for each judge, a statement provided by the Utah Supreme Court identifying the 
cumulative number of informal reprimands, when consented to by the judge in 
accordance with Title 78A, Chapter 11, Judicial Conduct Commission, formal 
reprimands, and all orders of censure and suspension issued by the Utah Supreme Court 
under Utah Constitution, Article VIII, Section 13, during the judge's current term and the 
immediately preceding term, and a detailed summary of the supporting reasons for each 
violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct that the judge has received;
(10)
an explanation of ballot marking procedures prepared by the lieutenant governor, 
indicating the ballot marking procedure used by each county and explaining how to 
mark the ballot for each procedure;
(11)
voter registration information, including information on how to obtain a ballot;
(12)
a list of all county clerks' offices and phone numbers;
(13)
the address of the Statewide Electronic Voter Information Website, with a statement 
indicating that the election officer will post on the website any changes to the location of 
a polling place and the location of any additional polling place;
(14)
a phone number that a voter may call to obtain information regarding the location of a 
polling place; and
(15)
on the back cover page, a printed copy of the following statement signed by the lieutenant 
governor:
"I, _______________ (print name), Lieutenant Governor of Utah, certify that the 
measures contained in this pamphlet will be submitted to the voters of Utah at the election to 
be held throughout the state on ____ (date of election), and that this pamphlet is complete and 
correct according to law.
SEAL
Witness my hand and the Great Seal of the State, at Salt Lake City, Utah this ____ day 
of ____ (month), ____ (year)
(signed) ____________________________________
Lieutenant Governor".
Section 3, Section 
20A-7-703.1
 is amended to read:
20A-7-703.1. Analysis of measure submitted to voters by Legislature -- 
Determination of fiscal effects.
(1)
The presiding officers shall:
(a)
prepare an analysis of each measure, described in Section 
20A-7-103
, that is 
submitted to the voters by the Legislature; and
(b)
submit the analysis to the lieutenant governor no later than the day that falls 90 days 
before the date of the election in which the measure will appear on the ballot.
(1)
As provided in this section, the legislative general counsel shall prepare an analysis of 
each measure described in Section 
20A-7-103
 that the Legislature submits to the voters.
(2)
The 
presiding officers
legislative general counsel
 shall ensure that the analysis:
(a)
is not more than 1,000 words long;
(b)
is prepared in clear and concise language that will easily be understood by the 
average voter;
(c)
to the extent possible, avoids the use of technical terms;
(d)
shows the effect of the measure on existing law;
(e)
describes the measure;
(f)
identifies the measure's fiscal effects over the time period or time periods determined 
by the 
presiding officers
legislative general counsel
 to be most useful in 
understanding the estimated fiscal impact of the measure; and
(g)
identifies the amount of any increase or decrease in revenue or cost to state or local 
government.
(3)
The 
presiding officers
legislative general counsel
 shall analyze the measure as the 
measure is proposed to be adopted, without considering any implementing legislation, 
unless the implementing legislation has been enacted and will become effective upon the 
adoption of the measure by the voters.
(4)
(a)
In determining the fiscal effects of a measure, the 
presiding officers
legislative 
general counsel
 shall confer with the legislative fiscal analyst.
(b)
The 
presiding officers
legislative general counsel
 shall consider any measure that 
requires implementing legislation in order to take effect to have no financial effect, 
unless implementing legislation has been enacted that will become effective upon 
adoption of the measure by the voters.
(5)
If the 
presiding officers request
legislative general counsel requests
 the assistance of 
any state department, agency, or official in preparing the analysis described in this 
section, that department, agency, or official shall assist the 
presiding officers
legislative 
general counsel
.
(6)
The legislative general counsel shall submit the analysis to the lieutenant governor no 
later than the day that falls 90 days before the date of the election in which the measure 
will appear on the ballot.
(7)
Consistent with Section 
36-12-12
, the legislative general counsel performs the duties in 
this section as counsel for the presiding officers.
Section 4. 
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on 
May 7, 2025
.
2-26-25 1:13 PM